In the latest episode of the Local Government News Roundup, a new CEO announced at Campaspe Shire; exciting infrastructure announcements from Victorian councils; a bold plan to fast track a council demerger in NSW; objections to a freeway widening plan in Sydney’s northwest; and a former Tasmanian mayor found guilty of misuse of office.
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Transcript (with links where available):
Hello and welcome to the Local Government News Roundup. This is your update for the 14th September. I’m Chris Eddy.
Coming up in this edition: a new CEO announced at Campaspe Shire; exciting infrastructure announcements from Victorian councils; a bold plan to fast track a council demerger in NSW; and a former Tasmanian mayor found guilty of misuse of office.
Just some of what’s ahead on the Local Government News Roundup, brought to you by the Victorian Local Governance Association, the national broadcaster on all things local government; and by the Local Government Show 2022 – on the 8th to 10th November at the Accor Stadium in Sydney.
A director from Mornington Peninsula Shire has been appointed as the new CEO of Campaspe Shire Council.
Pauline Gordon was this week announced as the successful candidate after an extensive recruitment process, following the departure earlier this year of Declan Moore from the position.
In addition to the Director Community Strengthening position at Mornington Peninsula, Ms Gordon has held senior roles at Greater Bendigo and Nillumbik, and at Sunshine Coast and Gympie in Queensland.
She will commence a four year contract at Campaspe in late October, taking over from Tim Tamlin who has been the interim CEO since May.
Greater Bendigo City Council has entered into an agreement for the establishment of a FOGO processing and recirculation facility on council owned land in Huntly.
The arrangement with Western Composting Technology will see a facility built to process up to 30,000 tonnes of food and garden organics annually, reducing emissions by more than 16 percent over kerbside organics disposal arrangements.
It would remove the need to take organic waste out of the region for treatment, and provide capacity to support other regional composting needs.
It’s the latest step in the city’s moves to transition to a circular economy in line with state policy and the council’s new Climate Change and Environment Strategy.
A new multi-deck commuter car park is a step closer at Sunbury railway station.
Hume City Council and the State Government have jointly committed to a multi-deck car park to deliver 300 additional car spaces to meet growing commuter demand in the Sunbury area.
The Council says the car park will alleviate pressure on neighbouring streets where commuters, shoppers and shop tenants compete for parking space.
A sign has been erected on the site in central Sunbury this week, and tenders have been issued ahead of expected works to commence next year.
In Ballarat, the council has received state government authorisation for a rezoning that paves the way for the city’s newest residential growth area.
The northern growth area is expected to accommodate up to 6,000 houses and potentially 15,000 residents. Features of the growth area include Mt Rowan, Burrumbeet Creek, and the Dowling Forest Racecourse Precinct, which will be taken into account in future planning processes.
Further work is to be done between the Council and the Victorian Planning Authority on a strategic review of greenfield land around the city, including planned Western and North-Western growth areas.
A review of aged care services at Corangamite Shire will be conducted ahead of the implementation of Commonwealth reforms, which follow recommendations from the Royal Commission into Aged Care Quality and Safety.
While a number of councils are opting out of aged care service delivery, Corangamite has commissioned a formal review of its Positive Ageing and Inclusion programs to help understand what the changes will mean for its current services.
The council says it’s not possible for the services to continue without change as programs will not exist in their current form, and that services will not be disrupted during the review.
Whitehorse City Council has this week voted to introduce a waste service charge, leaving only three councils in the state that don’t have one.
Mayor Tina Liu has emphasised the charge is not an additional fee on top of rates, and explained that it means the itemisation of waste and recycling services from general rates on rates notices.
She said the move makes rates more transparent and fair, and allows the Council to recover the real costs of delivering waste and recycling services.
Properties that are not eligible for kerbside bin services will no longer be charged.
The change will be introduced for the 2023/24 financial year.
Here are today’s Victorian Briefs:
Monash City Council has alerted residents to printed flyers being distributed in the community using the Council’s logo without permission.
It’s understood the material includes private information, which the Council would never publish or distribute. The matter has been referred to Victoria Police.
Bayside City Council is calling for better bus services for its community.
Improvements to public transport, particularly bus services, is a key priority for the upcoming Victorian election. The council says bus services in Bayside are indirect, infrequent, and not well connected with rail services.
And at Frankston City Council, there are celebrations after the city’s aquatic centres were honoured at the annual Aquatic and Recreation Victoria awards.
The Peninsula Aquatic Recreation Centre and the Pines Forest Aquatic Centre both won awards, while two employees, Nicole Ross and Mary Albert, were recognised as Customer Service Officer of the Year, and Group Exercise Instructor of the Year respectively.
Just ahead, the National Roundup: a bold plan to fast track a council demerger in NSW; objections to a freeway widening plan in Sydney’s northwest; and a former Tasmanian mayor found guilty of misuse of office.
You’re listening to the Local Government News Roundup for 14th September 2022, brought to you by the Victorian Local Governance Association.
As the state election approaches, VLGA Connect is presenting a series of live panels and discussions with key players.
The series comprises moderated live panel discussions, with audience Q&A so that you can ask your questions of panellists on issues of relevance to the local government sector.
This week, we’re being joined by Local Government Minister Melissa Horne will participate in a live panel event which you are invited to be part of. It takes place Friday afternoon at 2.30pm, and you can register your place now on the Events page on the vlga website.
And check out the VLGA YouTube and podcast channels for more from the state election series, including an interview with Dr Jonathan Spear from Infrastructure Victoria about the state’s infrastructure needs and priorities; and a panel session with the shadow ministers for local government, housing and planning.
The 2022 State Election Series, brought to you by the VLGA.
Heading the National Roundup today:
Cootamundra-Gundagai Regional Council has put forward a bold plan to fast track the demerger of the council, following the recent confirmation from the Local Government Minister Wendy Tuckerman that the demerger would proceed.
The Minister has said the demerger would not occur until elections in September 2024, but the council wants it to happen much sooner than that.
The Council has unanimously endorsed a proposal put forward by Mayor Charlie Sheahan under which it’s argued that two independent operations can be up and running within three months.
The proposal also suggests that a countback system could be used to fill the councillor position on two new interim councils, which would comprise existing councillors and candidates from the last election.
Minister Tuckerman has told the Wagga Wagga Daily Advertiser that she is considering the proposal, as well as a range of alternative options available for the process.
(Daily Advertiser, 14-9-22, p.7)
A plan for a major widening of Westlink M7 at Glendenning in the northwest of Sydney has attracted objections from Blacktown City Council and Bicycle NSW.
An unsolicited proposal led by Transurban has been put to the NSW Government to widen the motorway.
Blacktown Mayor Tony Bleasdale says the project is an opportunity to ease congestion on the motorway, but broader issues need to be considered.
He has highlighted congestion on surrounding roads, public transport, cycle ways and flood evacuation as some of the issues not addressed in the plan.
Bicycle NSW has also raised a number of objections in its submission, calling for leveraging of toll road investment for new and improved active transport facilities in Western Sydney as part of the project.
Criticism of Shellharbour City Council’s record of creating job opportunities for young people has been described as ill informed and misleading.
The Mayor Chris Homer and Deputy Mayor Kellie Marsh have released a statement refuting claims by the United Services Union that the Council has ‘trashed’ an opportunity to create jobs and careers through cadetships, apprenticeships and traineeships.
The criticism follows a council decision to not support a motion calling for advocacy on a 5% minimum benchmark of all council employees being apprentices, cadets and trainees.
Mayor Homer said the union’s criticism was not based in fact and designed to mislead the community, given the council’s cadet, apprentice and trainee workforce is sitting at 6.2% currently.
A former Tasmanian Mayor has been found guilty of two counts of misuse of office and two counts of improperly misusing information, according to a report from the ABC.
Former mayor of Glamorgan Spring Bay Council, Debbie Wisbey rented her AirBnB property to two acting general managers over a three month period in 2019.
The property was rented to the council at a significantly reduced rate, in a case Deputy Chief Magistrate Michael Daly described as unusual and illustrating good intentions.
However, Magistrate Daly said the process to do so breached the Local Government Act. In convicting her on all four counts, he noted that Ms Wisby had already faced “really significant consequences” and did not impose any further penalty.
A warning to locals about illegal dumping has come from Townsville City Council this week, where more than 50 illegal dumping reports are being received each month.
The Council has released a list of areas where illegal dumping is occurring, along with the types of waste being dumped – some of which can be taken to transfer stations for free.
Furniture, household waste and green waste make up 66 percent of dumped waste.
The Council is calling on the community to report illegal dumping when they see it.
Wollongong City Council will ask the State Government to declare the city’s rock platform high-risk, paving the way for making life jackets mandatory for rock fishers.
A council decision to make the request follows community engagement earlier this year, in response to the deaths of six people off the Honeycomb Rocks at Port Kembla since January 2021.
Lord Mayor Gordon Bradbery said the intention was not to stop people from rock fishing, but to ensure that rock fishers are able to go home to their families.
The WA State Government will host a roundtable to increase diversity and representationon local councils.
A call has gone out to elected members with a disability to participate in the discussion, which will take place in November.
The elected members will be encouraged to share their experiences, and ideas on how to support, attract and retain people with disability to stand for and participate on council.
National Briefs:
Murray River Council has won an award for excellence in risk management.
The council picked up the Strategic/Enterprise Risk Initiative Award for regional councils at the Statewide Mutual Risk Management Excellence Awards, recognising its efforts in organisational decision-making and management planning through the implementation of an Accountabilities Framework.
Port Stephens Council in NSW has a new Deputy Mayor this week.
Councillor Giacomo Arnott was unanimously elected to the position at last night’s council meeting, and will remain in the role for one year.
And a warning to residents this week from Adelaide Hills Council, after reports of an international caller pretending to be a council staff member conducting a resident survey about the quality of living in the council area.
The Council says it is a phone scam, and the recipient should reject the call and block the caller.
The City of Coffs Harbour has launched a competition to find a new logo.
The design competition is looking for an inspiring and striking new logo, with three categories for entries – school students, local non-professional aspiring creatives; and local professional branding and design businesses.
Entries close 14th October, with the winner to be announced in early November.
Just ahead of the International Spotlight, I’m pleased to announce that the Local Government News Roundup is a media partner for the Local Government Show 2022, coming up in November in Sydney.
The event features four knowledge streams on digital technology, parking, resource recovery and smart communities, with a stellar lineup of speakers assembled.
Roundup listeners can get 10% off the registration fee by using the VIP code LGNR10
More details on the link in the show notes, for the Local Government Show 2022 – 8 to 10 November at Accor Stadium in Sydney.
Now to today’s International Spotlight:
In the US state of Virginia, a new report estimates that the City of Newport News will lose a billion dollars in taxable property by 2050 due to sea level rise.
A report from public radio station WVTF reveals that nearly a third of one county will be swallowed by the sea.
The analysis conducted by a think tank called Climate Central says some places will need to raise taxes to compensate for land and buildings lost to the sea, and to maintain funding for schools and other local operations.
The report has led to calls for more action to discourage construction in areas likely to flood, and for more affordable housing to be built away from the coast.
In England, a local councillor says he has received little support from his council while enduring 18 months of intimidation from a member of the public.
West Lindsey District Councillor Matthew Boles has told the BBC the abuse he received included the individual contacting his daughter’s school about him.
The matter was eventually referred to police, but Cr Boles says there is no support in place for councillors dealing with abuse and intimidation.
He said councillors expect criticism, but councils should do more for their members.
And in New Zealand, following the recent sudden resignation of New Plymouth District Council’s CEO, the council has brought in an experienced interim CEO to assist through the upcoming election and post-election transition period.
Miriam Taris has been appointed to the position, after recently completing a similar appointment at South Waikato District Council. She is a previous 7 year CEO of Western Bay of Plenty District Council.
Ms Taris commences in the role this week.
That wraps up another Local Government News Roundup, brought to you by the Victorian Local Governance Association.
Remember to subscribe to VLGA Connect on YouTube and podcast for regular episodes highlighting local government initiatives, plus the flagship weekly news review on the Governance Update with Stephen Cooper.
I’ll be back with more news from around the world of local government on Sunday . Head to lgnewsroundup.com for breaking news updates and extra interview content.
Until then, thanks for listening and bye for now.